Road to Smash Brothers
by Maniac SwordBreaker
Summary: Takes place before the first SSB game. Thoughts and events of various Nintendo characters which lead them to enter their first Super Smash Brothers tournament.
1. Mario: A Plumber's Promise

**Road to Smash Brothers: The Mushroom Story**

**Author's Note: be warned; minor "Super Mario RPG" and "Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2"references are present.**

**Episode I: A Plumber's Promise**

The morning sun brightened the mushroom land with rays of light and welcomed its inhabitants to a brand new day. Even though the sun was still hiding behind the highlands, it sparkled like a hundred super stars. The field of fire flowers glimmered brightly as the sun continued to shine. The blanket of the previous night had already unfolded. The leaves of the mushroom trees rustled as if they were dancing to the tune of the whistling birds. Rays of light shone upon the capital of the land – The Mushroom Kingdom.

The mushroom people were going about performing their usual daily routines; the children were playing outside, the elderly people were sprinkling the plants, and the castle guards were chatting animatedly. Unexpectedly, a human was suddenly walking among them. Some of the mushrooms stopped their activities and diverted their attention to him. Despite the tension in the air, he continued to casually stroll toward the royal castle. He gave each mushroom a friendly wave and a smile rather than greeting all of them simultaneously. That was the kind of person he was; making each individual feel special was his middle name.

The guards instantly let him in when he reached the wooden doors of the castle, for they recognized him in a flash. Super Mario was a man who needed no introduction. He donned his usual outfit; blue overalls, a red shirt, white gloves, brown shoes, and most importantly, his red baseball-like cap with the letter 'M' printed on the center. Entering the main hallway, the Italian plumber astonishingly observed his surroundings. The red silk carpet he walked on was neat, the marble walls were like mirrors, and the two marble pillars in the center of the room were trademarks to the design of the castle. Mario never grew tired from the castle's work of art.

Mario stopped for a moment when he reached the steel-gold doors of the throne room. He started to admire his reflection on the doors, combing his black, bushy mustache with his gloved fingers. He shook off his playfulness and pushed the doors open, a metallic creaky sound echoing throughout the castle in the process.

The design of the throne room was just as amazing as the main hallway. Mario was of course flabbergasted once again. It had the same basic structure of the hallway yet seemed less spacious due to the overwhelming amount of decorations and furniture present. Wooden table of various shapes and sizes were scattered about. Each table had a variety of bottles and cups on top of it, and some of these cups looked like antiques used for decoration and nothing more. In the center of the room was the golden throne which was cushioned with red pillows (the same tone of red the silk carpets had). It shone like a glimmering star as rays of sunlight seeped through the huge windows occupying the walls, bouncing off the golden surface and scattering light throughout the room. Mario was momentarily blinded when he examined the throne from afar, causing him to raise his hand and partially cover his eyes. Looking away from the light to the other side of the room, he noticed a woman next to one of the windows, her back to him. Mario let his hand down to observe her more clearly. She was tightly holding part of the huge blood-red curtain decorating the window as she continued gazing through the glass, lost in thought. Mario cleared his throat in attempt to gain her attention, and fortunately he did with flying colors. Gasping in response, she turned to face him...

..and what an angelic site she was. Her azure eyes glimmered like the blue pearl which embellished the chest area of her pink dress. Her long blonde hair seemed to change color as sunlight reflected on it. Her rosy cheeks trademarked her adorable, creamy-white face. She did not wear her crown that day, and in Mario's mind that made her even more beautiful than she actually was.

"Good day, your highness," Mario addressed her, slightly bowing and tipping his hat to her. It was a rare occurrence to actually see Mario's short brown hair in all its glory.

"Oh, Mario; you don't have to be so formal, you know," she giggled jokingly.

Mario nodded playfully and walked towards her, keeping eye-contact with her. Once he got close enough to place his hand upon hers, he put on a serious expression. It was time to give her the bad news.

"Well, Peach," he started. "I came here to bid you farewell."

"Why do you have to leave, Mario? What if Bowser kidnaps me again?"

"I'm surprised you even remember that big sea turtle," Mario jested. "You're not trying to change my mind about leaving, are you?" Mario gave her that 'I-know-what-you're-planning' look. He didn't need to tilt his index finger back and forth to scold her.

Peach's eyes started to sparkle. It seemed that she was holding her tears back. Immediately she faced the ground to hide her emotions. "I'm going to miss you," she said sadly. "What if...you don't come back?"

Mario felt sorry for her. Nevertheless, he had to leave and nothing was going to change his mind. Bending down to look at her face—while she was still staring at the floor—he started to speak in a soft tone, "I promise that I'll be back. That Super Smash Silly Name Tournament will be a sintch to win. Count on it." Peach was still sulking, but Mario continued to speak, raising his voice a little. "Back in Brooklyn when I was fixing toilets, I used to have an old saying to reassure my clients' bathroom safety. It used to go like this; 'A plumber's promise works like his plunger; always sticking to it.' It's not much, but fits this moment perfectly." He gave the princess a warm smile. She then giggled at his comment and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

"I promise..." Mario whispered in her ear.

"Psst! Princess!"

Peach was startled. The voice slashed through her daydreaming. The echoing voice of Mario's whispers slipped away from her mind. She looked around frantically until she came face-to-face with the person who had awakened her.

"Sorry, Sarah. I wasn't following you," she said emotionlessly.

Sarah was the princess's personal bodyguard. She wore a green silk robe, a green pointy hat, and had a Sword-Breaker—a blade with comb teeth on one side and a normal sharp edge on the other—sheathed behind her back. Her cute Emerald-green eyes matched the hue of her hair.

"You miss him, don't you?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, I sure do," she nodded.

"I think we'll talk about...umm...what we were talking about later. Is that a good idea?"

"Thank you, Sarah. I'm going for a walk in the garden. Inform me if my father returns," she said as she stood up from the chair.

"As you wish, your highness," she bowed in respect.

_I wish you were here, Mario. Please come back soon. _She thought about him with every step she took to the garden, praying for his safe return...


	2. Seeds of Sin: Creation of Metal Mario

**Episode II: Seeds of Sin – The Creation of Metal Mario**

He floated alone in the dark, infinite space with vengeance lingering in his evil thoughts. His marble-like, crimson eyes were filled with hatred and anger, remembering his last epic battle many years ago. The taste of defeat was still there as if it happened yesterday. He had let his master down by not exterminating his enemies. Thusly, his sentence was life away from the living world. He was now in a world of his own, a cell with no door as he referred to it. If it were up to him, he would've picked death as his punishment instead of living in this lonely hell.

He liked absorbing the pain of his memories and storing it in his empty heart; a black heart with no feelings and no happiness…just pain...satisfying pain. His feathery, jet-black body had a tingly sensation each time "he had a chat with himself". It was the only way to get used to this loneliness. He knew he was going mad but he didn't complain. Strangely, this time his so-called subconscious alter-ego was the one who initiated a conversation.

"Are you just going to sit there and not do anything?" A voice asked.

"Leave me alone. You don't understand," he answered coldly.

"You'll die if you don't find a way to go back to Earth."

"I do not need to go back. It feels better here," he answered back coldly.

"You are nothing but an emotionless bird that'll never be remembered!" The voice screamed angrily.

"You are so right, my friend," he laughed with his yellow beak wide open. "I will never be remembered. That is the best part because I will never be bothered."

There was a momentary pause, until he heard the voice chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked angrily.

"I take back what I said. I bet that you are in the thoughts of many people at this very moment," he sneered.

"Leave me alone!" The bird yelled, holding his head as if he had a headache.

"Remember your master. Remember your enemies. You were one disgrace of a monster. Every time they think of you, they laugh. They laugh themselves to death!" the voice yelled.

"You lie! Why would anyone remember me?"

"No one would ever forget how you lost against a puny dinosaur and a baby. You were worthless and you are still as worthless as junk!"

"No! Lies! All Lies!"

The booming voice was getting the better of him. The bird held his head weeping like a baby.

"Get out of my head!" he kept yelling in pain. Tossing and turning in dark space, he tried to free himself from this emotional prison, but to no avail. The voice continued to whisper in a dark, menacing tone.

"You will be remembered…You have to take action…You must seek vengeance..."

All of a sudden, he stopped screaming and lowered his hands from his forehead. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets.

"Must seek vengeance...Must eliminate those who think of me…" he kept repeating these words as if he was in a trance.

"Yes! Yes! You have done well, my feathery friend!" The voice echoed. "It is time for you to receive my powers!"

Bolts of lightning struck the helpless bird out of nowhere, causing him to scream in pain. This wasn't ordinary electricity though, for the bird felt that he was obtaining even more power as lightning continued to hit him. The sound of thunder echoed throughout this mysterious dark vortex. White fog surrounded the bird momentarily. Then, everything stopped as fast as it started. The fog cleared soon after, revealing the bird in all its glory.

"What about me? What about RAPHAEL THE RAVEN?" He asked himself. "Never more, never more shall I stand the pain and suffering. I shall vanquish those who stand in my way. I will kill." With that, he let out a maniacal laugh and started floating towards the planet he was exiled from. A huge hand-shaped shadowy entity appeared behind him, watching its evil scheme going according to plan.

_**Where did I go wrong?**_

A short man stood in the middle of a scrap-infested field, furiously and rapidly smashing his big hammer on a large chunk of metal. His gray, thick beard covered most of his face, and his blazing red eyes were the only parts revealed to himself and everyone else. Using the long sleeves of his torn and bloodstained black cloak, he tried to wipe out the mixture of sweat and blood off his forehead, but to no avail. Indeed, this man could easily be mistaken for an old homeless beggar who was beaten out of an alley. Ironically enough, this description was closer to the truth than one would think.

_**How could one man do all this? My factory, my beautiful factory…all gone. **_

He observed his surroundings; scrap and metal filled the land as far as the eye could see. Smoke and dust, byproducts of what seemed to be a great battle, enveloped the earth, triggering a fog-like effect in the air. Miraculously, javelins of light radiating from the oval-shaped sun were able to penetrate this so-called smoke screen and reflect off the metal piles causing them to sparkle brightly. It was as if this scrap was the new light source of this world.

_**I hate you. Someday you will pay for this! **_

He glared at the statue of metal he had just created, making him even madder than he originally was. He was about to swing his hammer for the finishing blow, but he was cut off by a deep, cold voice…

"Your attitude will not help bring your factory back or defeat your enemies."

Frustrated, the bearded man frantically scanned the area trying to find the voice's owner. "Whatever you are, no one tells me what to do!" he called out, "now buzz off and mind your own business!"

"Temper, temper Smithy, my good man. I'm just here to help you."

The bearded man was shocked that the owner of the voice knew his name. He felt that the sound was echoing from behind him, so he immediately turned around to face the unexpected…

Raphael stood before him crowing sinisterly.

"How did you know my-"

"Enough small talk!" The Raven interrupted him. "Let's just say that you and I have something in common."

"And what would that be?"

"We have the same adversaries, and we have the same motivation: to eliminate them from the face of the universe!"

Smithy wasn't surprised at all; instead, he grinned as the thought of killing his foe lingered and lingered in his mind.

"What do you have in mind?" Smithy asked, showing interest in the words of the Raphael.

"I'll kill that plumber for you if you tell me where to get…power," Raphael stated in a sinister tone.

Smithy's hatred took the best of him. His other emotions were too weak compared to his fury. He knew that it was too risky to give him the secret of the power, but it was a risk he was willing to take. Anything to get rid of his enemy is worth it.

"The rod…the Rod of Starlet. It's the relic that controls the power of The Seven Stars, which are the guardians of the Mushroom Kingdom. Many tried, but failed to control its enormous energy."

"No need for little details Smithy, my good man. I shall find this rod you failed to control. Now here's my side of the bargain."

Suddenly, Raphael formed a dark ball of energy floating above his wing, and threw it towards the statue Smithy just made. A strange force surrounded the metal statue as soon as the ball made contact with it.

"Allow me to introduce to you Metal Mario, the terminator of plumbers," the Raven said. "Where are your manners, Metal? Why don't you shake hands with Smithy, your new master?"

Unexpectedly, the metal statue that was a carbon-copy of Mario's looks—and possibly had Mario's strength—extended its hand to Smithy. Overjoyed, the blacksmith shook its metallic glove. _What a grip this pile of junk has_, Smithy almost thought aloud.

"I want that plumber dead! Now go, my hyper Metal Mario!" Smithy ordered it. Soon after that, the 'terminator' disappeared out of sight.


	3. Twinkle Twinkle Little Yoshi

**Episode III: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Yoshi**

So many stars lightened the dark seas of the limitless nighttime sky. The silvery full moon shined like a light bulb in a dark room, lending its light to each and every corner in order to brighten this room known as Earth. But it seemed that the moon was focusing its light on a lone island in the middle of the ocean, favoring that particular area over the rest of the world. The wind moaned; it was almost as if Earth itself was moaning from jealously because of the moon's "favoritism".

Nature was a good magician that night, especially when it came to flashy acts like this. Ah, what luck it would be if someone were watching this…

…Lo and behold; a lucky someone _was_ indeed watching this! He had the best seat in the house too; inside the island…Yoshi's Island…

A figure stood on the beach of isle, admiring what he's observing and experiencing for the first time in his life. The moonbeams shined on his green body, lightening the tone of his color as a result. He started to sniff with his big round nose—which occupied most of his face—wondering if these beams had a special fragrance of some sort. It was an idiotic thought, but creatures of his kind had a big imagination.

"It smells like a flower!" He yelled with a childish soft voice as he started to wave his four-fingered paws around him, feeling the energy of the aura surrounding him. The magic stopped unexpectedly; the light shifted its focus to another place, a very far place, in just a matter of moments. The main event of the night had come to an end. The green creature stomped his brown boots on the sandy ground rapidly and angrily, but somehow he seemed angry in a playful way.

"Aww…where did the beautiful light go?" He said sadly, sitting down on the sand next to the shore. He sat in a strange manner; outstretching its booted legs in the sand and outstretching his hands in order to touch the tips of his boots. Gazing at the glowing midnight sky, he wished upon a random star.

_I wish to have many good friends and watermelons, _he thought quietly. _Scratch that; watermelons first, friends later. _

He noticed something strange though; the star he wished upon started to move. It was getting closer and closer, and then he finally realized that the star was-

"It's heading this way!"

He stood up, dashed towards the nearest bush beyond the beach area and hid behind it. Moving in light's speed, the star was but a few meters away from hitting the shore. The green creature covered its ears, expecting a big boom, but it was nothing like that…

The star surprisingly landed as soundless as a feather. Ever-so-curiously, the green creature slowly uncovered his ears and took a peek from behind the bush, fixating his gaze upon 'the impact site'. There it was up-close; the glowing five-handed star, half-buried in the sand. But what's this? Our green friend had noticed something else lying next to it; a pink blob or something like that. Taking precautions, he tiptoed towards the impact site slowly. Ignoring the star, he stopped next to the blob and circled around it like a lion getting ready to pounce, poking it a couple of times in the process.

_It feels just like jelly,_ he thought as he poked it again and again. Soon after that last poke, two very small arms without hands popped out of each side of the blob, and it started rolling like a pinball until it finally showed its sand-covered face; the green creature was able to make out the blob's two closed eyes and very wide mouth.

"It's alive!" He exclaimed in surprise. "Seems like it's hurt though. Better take it to the others." He decided as he lifted up the pink puffball and placed it on his saddle...

...But just when he had taken once step forward, a metal wall no more than twice his size suddenly landed in front of him. Scared and confused, he took take a step back but yet another wall of metal came bolting down behind him. Shocked by the sound of metal crashing onto the sand, he jolted forward in frenzy. There was no hope for the creature to escape, for every time he found an opening to get through a wall comes down out of nowhere and blocks it. In time, the raining walls entrapped them in a form of a hexagonal box. There was nowhere to run…

"I got that Yoshi right where I want him!" echoed a rasping voice.

Two shadowy figures walked towards the metal box. Their identity became clearer and clearer as they walked out of the shadowy shore, yet they still couldn't be described completely. All that could be seen was a plump figure and a very thin one. The thin one grabbed the glowing star lying next to the metal box and admired it for a bit, the light emitting from the glowing star revealing his twisted grin. He had a neat pointy mustache, a huge pointy nose, black eyes with velvety sacs underneath them, and bony cheeks. The purple baseball-like cap he wore was inscribed with an inverted "L" in the center.

The thin figure continued to admire the star, brushing the sand off it. All of a sudden, he laughed out joyfully. The fat figure bashed his acquaintance on the head, and in that moment the fat figure's gloved hand entered the light's radius to be revealed. His glove was white with the letter 'W' engraved on it.

"Hey! What was that for?" The thin figure yelled in his husky voice.

"Shh! Do you want to wake up the other Yoshis, you dimwit?" The fat figure scolded in an even huskier voice.

"Will you relax? I bet we're miles away from their hideout, and besides, they sleep like pigs," the thin one answered. "So, how much do you think this shiny thing will cost?" the thin one continued to speak, showing his fat partner the glowing star.

"I don't know, but I bet it costs a fortune. Doesn't matter though, we'll get a louder ka-ching when we deliver this pee-brained creature safely. With that goody-two-shoes plumber out of town, no one will come to save it! Wa-ha-ha-ha!" The fat one laughed in a strange manner.

"What does that hand want with a creature like this anyhow?" The thin one asked.

"It mentioned something about a tournament. Says it'll be a strong competitor. What a bunch of rotten ravioli if you ask me!" The fat one made a throwing gesture with his gloved hand as he said the last couple of words.

"Okay, but what's our next target on the chart?"

"Will you shut your blabbering motor for crying out loud? Do something good for a change and call the troops to come carry the box!" The fat one scolded him again, banging him on the head harder this time. The thin one walked back to shore, holding his head in pain. A ship could be seen from his view from a short distance. He waved his lanky arms...the ship was sailing nearer to the island...


	4. Luigi: Shattered Reflections

**Episode IV: Shattered Reflections**

A tear rolled from Luigi's azure eyes and splashed into Mushroom Pond. That tear was filled with joyful memories of his older brother when they both lived in Brooklyn a couple of years ago, long before they discovered this fantasy Mushroom Kingdom. He remembered when he used to make breakfast for him…_Mario always scolded me when I was late with his breakfast_, _especially when I used to make his favorite dish: Boiled egg with Pasta meatballs…ugh…why did I even make __**that**__ for him?_ He chuckled as that vision lingered and lingered in his mind.

There was another time when they took the most dangerous plumbing job in their carrier. Completing the job gave them a huge reputation boost, proudly earning the title of being 'The best plumbers in New York'. Luigi remembered it as if it happened yesterday…

_It was late at night, nine p.m. to be exact. I knocked on the door of the mayor's office_ _while Mario stood behind me. The door began to open slowly. We entered the office as the door shut behind us and walked casually towards the desk. The Mayor's chair was facing the glass wall behind it, and we assumed that he was sitting on it, looking through the glass. We noticed the frightful and gloomy overview of Brooklyn; it was dark it seemed that a black mist surrounded the place. Gleaming streetlights and car-lights were the only entities we could see…police sirens and shattering glass were the only sounds we could hear. _

_Finally, he turned to face us, and stood up from his chair to shake our gloved hands. For a man in his mid-forties, he was a handsome fellow. He wore a brown tuxedo with a matching cowboy hat, strands of his long golden hair crept out from under the hat. He grinned as he admired us with his kind, green eyes. Going straight into business, he explained that some people were experiencing floods in their bathrooms and there were a few people who claimed that sewer snakes were coming out of the sink. Shocked at the news, Mario and I instantly guessed that the problem was from the main sewer system under the city. The mayor took the blue print of the city's sewer system out of the drawer and slammed it on his desk. Then, he begged us to go down the sewer. My bro and me talked it over, and we finally decided to go and take the risk. We both rushed out of the office, giving each other looks of comfort and determination. We were ready for the job of our lives; blue overalls – check, my green shirt – check, his red shirt – check, power-tool belts – check, combed mustaches – double check. Oh yes! This was the pride of the Mario Brothers at stake, and nothing would stop us from defending that pride! _

_It didn't take a lot of time to reach the sewers. I climbed down the ladder, and Mario cautiously followed. The splashing of the sewage water echoed around us as we jumped from the ladder. We examined our surroundings but found nothing but rats, dirty water, and an endless tunnel. _

_Disgusted by the sight, Mario took the blueprint out of his overalls and unfolded it. We pinpointed where the main problem was and started walking, the water swishing and swashing with each step we took. Despite the piped labyrinth we were in, we navigated through the sewers easily; we weren't called plumbers for nothing, you know. We reached the destination at last, and lo and behold - the water valves were wide open, and most of the pipes were severely damaged, for water and steam were seeping from the many cracks implanted on them. We were flabbergasted from the sight – all we did was look at each other and sigh; this was going to be one hell of a job, and I do mean hell literally. Oh well, at least it wasn't as bad as our "Wrecking Crew" days. _

_We had everything looking ship-shape by four in the morning. Our eyelids were as heavy as rocks. I thought that things couldn't get any worse, until I heard a hissing sound. We looked behind us, and our hearts were pounding from what we saw… _

_It was a big sewer snake, the biggest snake I had ever seen. Mario took a wrench out of his utility belt and I followed him by taking a plunger out of mine. 'Let's-a go!' Mario yelled his battle cry and attacked it first. It was able to evade Mario's attack and countered by charging at him. I watched him fall back and hit the wall behind him, and then I realized that he was out cold. It was about to bite Mario until I threw the plunger at it like a spear. It connected successfully with its face, cutting off the air it proudly breathed. It slithered around frantically until the plunger came off its face, and now it was looking at me with monstrous, piercing jet-black eyes. I took a screwdriver out of my belt and charged at it. I was able to pierce its rattling tail, but it started attacking me wildly as if it wasn't affected. I managed to evade all its attacks by swiftly running in circles. It almost caught me, but I kicked it forcefully. It fell back hissing in pain, but it wasn't down yet. I dashed at it attempting to finish it off, but I tripped over Mario's unconscious body and fell face first to the ground. Yowling in pain, I turned over and tried to get up, but I wasn't able to move my legs. I crawled back as the snake came nearer, its shadow looming over me, until I was cornered; there was nowhere left to crawl. It gazed at me, sticking its tongue out, determined to bite me to death. I shivered in fear, and knew this would be over soon, until…_

'_Yahoo!' Mario screamed as he sucker-punched it on the face. The snake hissed and attempted to bite Mario, but he reacted wisely and kicked it in the jaw. Having no effect on it whatsoever, the rampaging reptile took an attack stance, the upper portion of its coiled body slightly going backwards and downwards simultaneously, and it suddenly threw itself at Mario with its mouth wide open. Luckily, my bro extended his arms beforehand and held it back by gripping its neck. Then, with raw strength, Mario threw it to the wall. It slammed hard, screaming in pain. Its hissing voice faded away slowly; having no fight left. Preparing for the finishing blow, Mario took his wrench, held it in two hands, jumped in the air, and banged it on the head. _

_And that, as they say, was that. _

_Mario walked towards me and helped me up. 'Where's the Ninja Turtles when you need them?' he said laughing. I smiled and thanked him. He looked at me, smiling back. 'Care for some pizza for breakfast Luigi?' he grinned. 'My treat' I answered. 'Anything for the best brother I've ever had.' He looked at me sarcastically and said, 'I'm the only brother you've ever had.' With all of our body parts aching and shaking, and our clothes wet with rotten polluted sewer water, we climbed out of this God-forsaken maze. We were back in our hometown, our quiet neighborhood to be exact. It's a good thing that our local pizza parlor was open 24/7…we stopped by and ordered an extra large pizza for take-out…with our own custom-made recipe of course: Avocado pizza with tomato-filled crusts! Yumm! _

…_Those were the good old days. But now, they are nothing but forgotten memories. _

Luigi gazed at the cloudy sky of Mushroom Kingdom, wondering if those days would ever come back to life. Another tear rolled out of his azure eyes, a tear that represented his sadness, his loneliness, and rejection. From the first time he and Mario set foot in this magical world, something unknown had kept them apart. Mario was determined to save this kingdom from evil, and this determination still continued.

From the first time Mario saved the Mushroom citizens from the wrath of Bowser the tyrant, Luigi was nothing but a blind follower; he did what he was told without thinking about himself, without suggesting his thoughts. He was a clone that agreed with Mario in every thought and went where he went. _This is my entire fault, _Luigi thought to himself._ I didn't have the determination that he had. High determination was what kept me apart from him, what made him forget about me, and what made the people reject me. _He was in deep meditation, planning his future actions, wondering if anyone asked about him.

_Sigh, I need to clear my mind of all this. I have to do something soon…_

He missed many adventures in his period of absence, and he knew that quite well. He wished that for once that he would have an adventure of his own, a never-ending adventure. He pictured himself punching Boos and stomping on Goombas like what he used to do with his Brother in the old days.

Despite the fact he rarely showed up in Mushroom Kingdom, he was able to accomplish many things in his period of disappearance. Training continuously in his spare time, he was now more swift and powerful than before; he used his weight advantage to jump higher and to move quicker.

He also had time to work on developing his favorite hobby: inventing and designing, which he kept a secret to himself. Even Mario didn't know that he had the 'smarts' to invent something. He had a private workshop, hidden between the trees.

Luigi suddenly stuck his hands into his pocket, extracting an invitation letter. He flipped the letter around for a moment, and then stopped when something caught his attention; the amazing wax letter seal. He brushed his thumb on the seal as he looked closer.

_It's a symbol of some sort._ It was a circle containing two lines, their cross point sited nearer to the circumference.

_No matter. This is my ticket in. I'll have the kingdom respect me again...I'll have Mario respect me again. After I'm done kicking ass in this tournament, I'll be on top of the world!_

He decided to calm his nerves by taking a stroll to his workshop. He started walking away from the pond and heading for Bandit's Path. _I'll start working on another invention, _He said to himself while humming along the way.


End file.
